Kelly Clarkson: Our Kind of Diva

We never stopped rooting for Kelly Clarkson through 10 years of ups and downs. Now, she's as hot as a Fourth of July firecracker with a new TV show, a new love, and a super-fit new body. Get a sneak peek of her cover interview.

We never stopped rooting for Kelly Clarkson through 10 years of ups and downs. Now, she's as hot as a Fourth of July firecracker with a new TV show, a new love, and a super-fit new body. Get a sneak peek of her cover interview.

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On finally finding happiness:

On finally finding happiness:

"I know—where’s the kick in the ass? I told my assistant that today. I said, 'I’m just waiting for something to blow up.' She said, 'No, that’s what happiness is.' I’m like, maybe I’ve never been happy! Because Brandon [Blackstock; her boyfriend] does, he makes me happy."

Photographed by Matt Jones

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On how she lost the weight:

On how she lost the weight:

"I do cardio. I run. I strength-train using my own body weight. I don’t like free weights, because I build muscle easily. Really, what I try to instill in my fans is to be healthy and happy. I have no desire to be super-skinny."

On finally finding happiness:

"I know—where’s the kick in the ass? I told my assistant that today. I said, 'I’m just waiting for something to blow up.' She said, 'No, that’s what happiness is.' I’m like, maybe I’ve never been happy! Because Brandon [Blackstock; her boyfriend] does, he makes me happy."

Photographed by Matt Jones

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On how she lost the weight:

"I do cardio. I run. I strength-train using my own body weight. I don’t like free weights, because I build muscle easily. Really, what I try to instill in my fans is to be healthy and happy. I have no desire to be super-skinny."

Photographed by Matt Jones

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On being a mentor on Duets after her experience with American Idol:

"I’m going to be completely honest—I had no one looking out for me. They were looking out for the show, and it was horrible. I was 19 years old. I was smart enough to know that it wasn’t about me, but that didn’t make it any easier. I’m all cried out about it, but my first four years, I hated my life; I almost quit a dozen times."

Courtesy of ABC/Rick Rowell

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More from Kelly:

Get the scoop on Kelly Clarkson's new country family courtesy of boyfriend Brandon Blackstock, her relationship with Reba McEntire, and more in the July issue of REDBOOK (on newsstands June 12)!